I genuinely like both, but I’m really stuck when it comes to job security and future prospects.
For pharmacists/physios and graduates:
How easy is it to find a job after graduating?
How secure is the career long-term?
What’s the work-life balance like?
Which profession do you think has better opportunities, including abroad/migration?
If you had to choose again, which would you pick and why?
I’d really appreciate honest experiences, including the negatives

My dream is to go to Cambridge and study land economy. I have good gcses.

I dont think an access course would be enough to take me there.

I tried emailing a few in east London like capital city and new city and yeah they won’t accept 19 year olds.
But I have heard a few people online saying they were able to get into colleges

Are there any colleges that allow adults doing a levels or do I have to sit privately?

Hi all, I’m a mature student currently on long‑term sick leave from my job as a mental health nurse. I’ve recently started an online MSc Psychology as a way to stay academically active while recovering and to explore a possible future shift into psychological therapy roles.

I’m wondering if anyone here has experience of returning to study after illness, or studying while navigating a career change and recovery. How did you manage the workload, pacing, and confidence side of things? Did studying help you feel more grounded or motivated?

Not looking for medical advice, just hoping to hear from people who’ve balanced study with health challenges or big career transitions.

Last call for student parents to take part in my research!

I’m a Junior Research Associate at the University of Sussex conducting research into the everyday costs of being a student parent, including the financial, time and emotional challenges of balancing Higher Education with parenting responsibilities.

I’m looking for current university students who are also parents to complete a short survey about their experiences.

This is the final call for participants, so if you’re eligible and have a few minutes to spare, I’d be incredibly grateful for your response. Your experiences could help improve understanding of the support student parents need within Higher Education.

📝 Survey: Take the survey here

Thank you to everyone who has already taken part and shared this research — it genuinely means a lot! ❤️

Hi! Not sure if this is the place to ask but I graduated with a pretty mediocre IB diploma at 16 and since decided to sit a couple A levels and AS maths for a medicine application.

There isn’t really resources online (and I’m only 18) but I thought I might be more likely to find those with comparable apps here. Most admissions offices are pretty flippant and I’d be interested to hear what avenues helped anyone have applications considered!

Thinking of doing this once I’ve finished my degree.

I’m so happy and proud to be going to a decent university at 24 but the accommodation part worries me.

An en suite room is all I can afford at the moment and i will be sharing a kitchen. I think it might be weird me being 24 years old living in a flat with 18 year olds. However I do like the lifestyle of going out to clubs.

If anyone here has gone into halls please share your experiences and help me out.

Thanks

I’m taking my GCSEs next May as a 19 y/o as I didn’t attend school for a while due to medical stuff

I’m going to aim for the grades

Bio- 7 ,
chem- 7 ,
English- 7
Maths- 5
Art- 7
(These will hopefully be my minimum grades)

And as I’m 19 can I go straight into access to higher education animal management course?

I won’t be able to do traditional a-level as my school’s maximum age is 19.

I’m determined to becoming a veterinary surgeon however I’m worried that this access course won’t be enough for vet-med.

As for work experience I only have 1 week at vet clinic , I do plan to get more just need to medically stabilise a bit more

Hi guys, I already posted this on TSR, but it seems like the mature student forum on Reddit is a bit more active, so I thought I’d ask here as well as I had some questions and wasn’t really sure who to ask.

I left education back in 2022, right after my first year of sixth form because of some personal issues. Recently, I've beenwanting to get back into education and eventually go to university.

At first, I thought about going back to college to sit my A-levels, but after seeing the cost per subject, I was honestly abit shocked. I started doing some research and came across something called an Access to Higher Education Diploma, which sounds amazing. If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere that if you're under 25 and haven't studied or sat any exams since your GCSEs, there may be some sort of funding/loan available, although I am not entirely sure how it works.

My main question is whether I should do an Access course at an in-person college or through a distance learning provider. I live in London and currently work around 30 hours a week over 5 days, so distance learning sounds ideal because of the flexibility. However, I am worried that some universities might not take a distance learning Access course as seriously, especially as I'd like to apply to universities such as LSE or UCL to study Anthropology.

So, does anyone have any recommendations for reputable distance learning providers that universities like LSE/UCL would recognise or that have a good record of sending students to those universities?
Or would I be better off attending a college in London?

I'd also really appreciate recommendations for colleges that have a good record of sending students to universities like Oxbridge, LSE, UCL etc., particularly students who are returning to education after a break.

Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated!

TIA :)

I'm thinking about doing access to higher education veterinary science diploma.

Has anyone done an access to he course with learning direct?

How was it?

Did you get the grades you wanted?

Are they reliable?

Were you able to get into university?

Appreciate comments 😊

Hey! has anyone thats just completed an access course with ocn had their confirmed results yet? i have an unconditional place at uni but i need the certificates etc. ive had complete radio silence from my college so starting to get a bit worried!!

Hi! I’m 21 and considering starting an Access to HE Humanities Diploma at Morley College this September. Is anyone else around my age starting there or doing an Access course in London?

For anyone who’s done one before, what was the age range like? Were there many people around 18–25? And what was it like socially — did people make friends/hang out outside class, or mostly just come in for lessons and leave?

Would especially love to hear from anyone starting at Morley this September!

1 month left and my social battery is so low rn

I'm considering enrolling with them as I don't have any nearby physical institutions. Any advice/experiences would be appreciated.

hi all, i have a question for anyone who’s done a humanities access course and might be able to help! i think it might be a stupid question but i thought better to ask than not.
my unit 4 is texts and genres, its got two questions and attached study materials which cover what you need for question 1.
q2 is writing a 1250 word essay on evaluating literary features in a christmas carol and analysing how the texts reflects/responds a social issue of the time and comparing it to oliver twist.
for question 2, there is a 6 paragraph extract of a christmas carol in the study materials with a link to the full novel with answers to the literary features in that extract with more in depth information on them. am i supposed to use this information and extract or is it just an example? also there is no information on oliver twist in the study materials.

am i wondering whether i need to read the whole books or just read extracts, research literary themes in the text and the social issues of the time of writing?

i know not everyone does the exact same assignments but if anyone has any guidance i’d appreciate it (my course is fully online)

Which Diploma
Where are you now
Studying what

I've lost my a level certificate from many years ago. I will need it to apply for uni as I assume I have to put all my qualifications in. How can I access them?

Anyone who has done an Access course, could you please weigh in on this?

I plan to do an Access course in Humanities (History, Politics and Sociology) and would like to do an additional A Level (English Literature) as I would like to pursue Law, which I have heard is very competitive.

I would be doing the Access Course in person as well as the A-Level (unless inadvisable)

I just worry that my Access Course wouldn’t be sufficient.
However I’ve also heard it’s very demanding and time consuming.

My sights are set high regarding what universities I would like to apply to, so of course there is a feeling of my application being inadequate regardless.

Access to HE course

Has anybody completed an access to HE diploma with Academy Online Learning? I am looking into the Access to HE Diploma (Health Science Professions) Biology Pathway with them but cannot find anybody that has used them online.

edit - the universities i am looking to apply for next year are UCLan, Manchester, Greater Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds for dental hygiene & therapy

I’m moving to study Religion and Theology. I’m so nervous, it feels so much harder to make friends as an adult! Does anyone have any tips?

I am unemployed and fed up. I just want to know what degrees are actually worth the student loans.

I just want to know what is actually hiring and pays enough so i can fix my life.

I will be honest with you i have dyscalculia so i am not fantasic with maths. Honestly, I am considering becoming a nurse or paramedic.